MDASI Brain Tumor Module
The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for brain tumor (MDASI-BT) is a site-specific module. Use the MDASI-BT to assess the severity of symptoms experienced by patients with brain tumors and the interference with daily living caused by these symptoms.
Along with the core MDASI’s 13 symptom items and 6 interference items, the MDASI-BT also assesses 9 symptoms specific to brain tumors.
| Core MDASI Symptoms | Brain Tumor Symptoms | MDASI Interference |
|---|---|---|
| Pain | Weakness on one side of body | Relations with other people |
| Fatigue | Difficulty understanding | Enjoyment of life |
| Nausea | Difficulty speaking | Mood |
| Disturbed sleep | Seizures | Walking |
| Distress (feeling upset) | Difficulty concentrating | Activity |
| Shortness of breath | Change in bowel pattern (diarrhea or constipation) | Work (including housework) |
| Difficulty remembering | Change in appearance | |
| Lack of appetite | Problems with vision | |
| Drowsiness | Irritability | |
| Dry mouth | ||
| Sadness | ||
| Vomiting | ||
| Numbness/tingling |
Order the MDASI-BT
MDASI-BT Features
- Purpose: To assess the severity of multiple brain tumor-related symptoms and the impact of these symptoms on daily functioning
- Population: Patients with symptoms caused by brain tumors and their treatment
- Assessment areas: Severity of multiple symptoms and the impact of symptoms on daily functioning during the last 24 hours
- Method: Self-report or interview with research staff; paper-and-pencil or electronic data entry*
- Time required: Five minutes or less
- Scoring: Please see the MDASI User Guide
- Reliability: Cronbach alpha reliability ranges from 0.67 to 0.91
*Electronic data capture offers several benefits:
- Allows symptom monitoring when the patient is away from the hospital
- Is convenient for patients, who can choose web access, personalized patient portals, or smartphones to access questionnaires
- Minimizes missing data, especially in longitudinal studies
- Provides accurate, real-time symptom data at expected time points
- Generates immediate feedback, potentially allowing caregivers to address severe symptoms more effectively
MDASI-BT Language Versions
Click on a linked language to view a sample in PDF format.
Don't see a language you need? Contact us at symptomresearch@mdanderson.org.
| Psychometrically and Linguistically Validated | Linguistically Validated |
|---|---|
| Danish | Afrikaans |
| English | Arabic |
| Japanese | Bengali (in process) |
| Chinese (Simplified) | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | |
| Chinese (Traditional - Hong Kong) | |
| Croatian | |
| Dutch | |
| French | |
| French (Canada) | |
| German | |
| Hebrew | |
| Hindi (in process) | |
| Italian | |
| Korean | |
| Marthi (in process) | |
| Polish | |
| Portuguese (Brazil) |
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| Portuguese (Portugal) |
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| Russian | |
| Spanish | |
| Swedish | |
| Tamil (in process) | |
| Thai | |
| Turkish |
MDASI User Guide
In response to the US Food and Drug Administration's 2009 guidance for the pharmaceutical industry on the use of patient-reported outcomes measures in medical product development to support labeling claims, we have prepared a MDASI User Guide to document the development and psychometric properties of the MDASI and its modules. The User Guide addresses the recommendations in the FDA guidance and establishes the MDASI's adequacy as a measure to support medical product claims.
Selected MDASI-BT References
Validation
Armstrong TS, Mendoza T, Gning I, et al. Validation of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory Brain Tumor Module (MDASI-BT). J Neurooncol 80(1): 27-35, 2006.
Piil K, Whisenant M, Mendoza T, et al. Psychometric validity and reliability of the Danish version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Brain Tumor Module. Neurooncol Pract 8(2):137-147, 2020.
Tanaka S, Sato I, Takahashi M, et al. Validation study of the Japanese version of MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Brain Tumor module. Jpn J Clin Oncol 50(7):787-793, 2020.
Armstrong TS, Cohen M, Eriksen L, Cleeland C. Content validity of self-report measurement instruments: an illustration from the development of the brain tumor module of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory. Oncol Nurs Forum 32(3):669-676, 2005.
Cleeland CS, Mendoza TR, Wang XS, et al. Assessing symptom distress in cancer: the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory. Cancer 89:1634-1646, 2000.
Clinical Application
Brady K, Cohen AL. Differences in symptom burden in primary brain tumor patients based on sex, race, and ethnicity: a single-center retrospective study. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. Online Oct 2, 2023.
Rogers JL, Vera E, Acquaye A, et al. Living with a central nervous system (CNS) tumor: findings on long-term survivorship from the NIH Natural History Study. Neurooncol Pract 8(4):460-474, 2021.
Wefel JS, Armstrong TS, Pugh SL, et al. Neurocognitive, symptom, and health-related quality of life outcomes of a randomized trial of bevacizumab for newly diagnosed glioblastoma (NRG/RTOG 0825). Neuro Oncol 23(7):1125-1138, 2021.
Pollom EL, Fujimoto D, Wynne J, et al. Phase 1/2 trial of 5-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery with 5-mm margins with concurrent and adjuvant temozolomide in newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma: health-related quality of life results. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 98(1): 123-130, 2017.
Armstrong TS, Wefel JS, Wang M, et al. Net clinical benefit analysis of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0525: a phase III trial comparing conventional adjuvant temozolomide with dose-intensive temozolomide in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. J Clin Oncol 31(32): 4076-4084, 2013.
Armstrong TS, Wefel JS, Gning I, et al. Congruence of primary brain tumor patient and caregiver symptom report. Cancer 118(20): 5026-5037, 2012.
Armstrong TS, Vera-Bolanos E, Gning I, et al. The impact of symptom interference using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Brain Tumor Module (MDASI-BT) on prediction of recurrence in primary brain tumor patients. Cancer 117(14): 3222-3228, 2011.
Armstrong TS, Gning I, Mendoza TR, et al. Clinical utility of the MDASI-BT in patients with brain metastases. J Pain Symptom Manage 37(3): 331-340, 2009.
Methodology
Wang Y, Zhang J, Luo C, et al. Predictive models and survival analysis of postoperative mental health disturbances in adult glioma patients. Front Oncol 13:1153455, 2023.
Bergsneider BH, Vera E, Gal O, et al. Discovery of clinical and demographic determinants of symptom burden in primary brain tumor patients using network analysis and unsupervised clustering. Neurooncol Adv 5(1):vdac188, 2022.
Merrell RT, Simon KC, Martinez N, et al. Standardizing care of neuro-oncology patients using a customized electronic medical record toolkit. Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes 5(3):625-634, 2021.
Armstrong TS, Vera-Bolanos E, Acquaye AA, et al. The symptom burden of primary brain tumors: evidence for a core set of tumor- and treatment-related symptoms. Neuro Oncol 18(2): 252-260, 2016.
Armstrong TS, Vera-Bolanos E, Acquaye A, et al. Impact of recall period on primary brain tumor patient's self-report of symptoms. Neurooncol Pract 1(2): 55-63, 2014.
Lin L, Chiang HH, Acquaye AA, et al. Uncertainty, mood states, and symptom distress in patients with primary brain tumors: analysis of a conceptual model using structural equation modeling. Cancer 119(15): 2796-2806, 2013.
Every MDASI module contains:
all 13 MDASI core symptoms...
pain, fatigue, nausea, disturbed sleep, distress, shortness of breath, difficulty remembering, lack of appetite, drowsiness, dry mouth, sadness, vomiting, numbness/tingling
...and all 6 MDASI interference items
general activity, mood, work, relations with others, walking, enjoyment of life
Cancer patients with central nervous system tumors are a unique group because of the neurological nature of their symptoms, which affect their functional abilities, social interactions and emotional well-being — and thus their quality of life.
Terri S. Armstrong, Ph.D.
Senior Investigator, NCI